I have never been one to believe in cupid's arrow or a love-at-first-sight type of girl until my vacation in Cancun, Mexico. It was my second day here, and I was still trying to get over that jet lag feeling. So before going sightseeing and shopping, I stopped at a cafe to get something to boost my energy. I sit in a booth, sipping a cup of freshly brewed coffee. After taking a few sips, I was energized within minutes. Then I felt a slight tug on my hair. I turned and saw a cute little boy standing in the seat of the adjoining booth.

"Hello, cutie," I crooned softly.

"Johnny, sit down and stop bothering that lady." The little boy's mother reprimanded him.

Johnny swiftly reached out and pulled at a handful of my hair, trying to extract it from my scalp. I tried to take his tiny fingers from around my hair, but he tightened his grip and pulled harder. I couldn't believe I was being assaulted by a child who was maybe two or three years old.

"Johnny! Johnny! Let go of that lady's hair!" His mother screamed hysterically while he giggled and yanked harder. One by one, I pried his fingers from my hair. My scalp throbbed from the pain. I was sure I had lost more than a few strands. His mother profusely apologizes, scooping the toddler up and fleeing the cafe.

I stood and massaged my scalp watching the two leave the cafe while little Johnny began to cry. Then, my gaze shifted, and I saw this gorgeous man standing at the door, opening it for a fleeing mother and her son. He's standing there at the entrance holding a slight smile on his face. It was apparent that he had witnessed the entire scene. I turned and pulled out several bills and placed them on the table. I managed a smile for the waitress, picked up my purse, tilted my chin, then walked toward the entrance.

As I neared him, I detected the heat of his body and the scent of clean, citrusy cologne. The gorgeous man moved to the side, offering to open the door for me, and my bare arm brushed his sleeve. He lowered his head slightly and whispered. "Are you okay?: Did he hurt you?" He asked, staring down at my hair, his concern-filled voice.

"Oh, you saw that. Well, do you want me to answer you honestly? "

He nodded yes with a warm, perfect smile, straight white teeth, and kissable lips. I was instantly drawn in by everything but especially his mouth.

"Only my pride," I uttered as my gaze moved up, studying the sharp features on his face that were perfectly symmetrical. His mouth was firm without being too full or too thin. That's when I encountered the green eyes that look like emeralds almost gazing back at me.

Something happened. I felt heat flare up in me, then it seemed like was struck directly in my heart. Could cupid arrows be real? Is this what I just experienced? Whatever happened in that cafe, from that moment, we were inseparable.

All within eight days, what was supposed to be a vacation, turned into a marriage and unforgettable honeymoon.

~~~~~~~~

I would be awakened to his warm kisses, which had begun slow and searching, were now strong and urging. "Open your mouth," he ordered softly, coaxing me to respond, and I opened my mouth to his. With kisses from those lips, my body automatically responded. My lids shuttered open, and I recognized the repressed passion in Richmond's startling, light-green eyes. His electric gaze was shocking but so compelling and magnetic that everything about him was potent and breathtaking.

After only eight days of meeting my stunningly handsome husband in beautiful Cancun, Mexico, I'm married and have fallen in love. I closed my eyes and savored the sensation of his flesh melding with minds as we became more and more one soul. A sigh of satisfaction escaped me as I breathed lightly between parted lips as he made wondrous love to me. No man had ever made this rush of heat sweep from the soft core of my center and burst forth like fireworks.

Yes, I rose to meet Richmond in a moment of uncontrolled passion. I was eager to respond in the fiery blaze he lit within me as we exploded into sheer blissfulness.

My sister Olivia sat there in shock as I told her what I had done.

"What happened after that, Hailey?"

I sighed heavily. "All I remember is looking at my husband's handsome face sleeping. The night we left Mexico, we returned home here to my place. After making love, we were satisfied but exhausted. Drowsily I lay there thinking, 'how did this stranger know my body better than I do when we had only met and married after eight days?" I begin to tear up at the memories. Olivia moved from the loveseat and sat next to me on the sofa.

"Oh, sweetheart, don't cry?" she said, wiping away my tears as I continued.

"And then, I woke up, and his side of the bed was empty; he was gone, Olivia! That's been a month ago now. Every day I'm reminded that the man I had fallen in love with and married had disappeared without a trace. I don't know whether I'm Hailey Halston or Hailey Baxter, married, separated, divorced, or widowed. And why did he leave me? I've searched every hospital, police station, and morgue. And I found no trace of him.

Olivia, my mind is like a broken recorder. I keep asking myself, wondering, and thinking, why did Richmond Halston want to marry me so quickly?

"Did you ask him that question before saying I do?"

"Yes,"

"And what did he say?"

"Richmond said he wanted to honor me by making me his wife."

"And you believed him?"

Yes, Livy! I do. I mean, I did."

Olivia nodded. "Of course." She said, holding out her arms, allowing me, her little sister, to be comforted. She pressed a kiss on my forehead as I broke down and cried. The anxiety that had filled my waking days, The fear and the apprehension I'd carried for more than a month. It subsided just a little with this admission to my sister. I also knew I had made the right decision to begin to tell Olivia about the man I had fallen in love with on sight.

She took my hand, shaking her head in amazement. "How could you keep something like this from me? Hailey, I" m your sister. You didn't trust me enough to tell me?"

"It has nothing to do with trust, I have my pride, and I'm embarrassed."

"Hailey, forget your false pride and being embarrassed. I have to know everything."

~~~~~

I woke up after only four hours of sleep. I groaned as I glanced at the clock on my bedside table. It was nearly eight-thirty in the morning. I picked up the phone and dialed my boss's number.

"Good morning. Mr. McDonald's office. Miss Blanchard is speaking."

"Judy, it's Hailey."

"What's the matter, Hailey? You sound even worst this morning."

I swallowed several times, trying to moisten my dry throat. "I have a sore throat. Please tell Mike I won't be in today. I'm taking another sick day."

Uhmm, Hailey, I have good and bad news. First, I would tell Mike that you weren't coming in if he was still here."

"What do you mean, Judy?"

"After you took your vacation and were out sick. Mike sold the company. We have a new Owner and CEO coming today. That's the good news, and here's the bad news. You don't have any more sick leave, darling."

"I don't? Judy, is Mike really gone?"

"Yes, I think you ought to come in to make a good first impression with the new boss."

"You're right. I'll see you shortly."

I hung up the phone, swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I headed for the bathroom,

Not only was my throat sore and dry, but I knew without looking at a mirror that my eyes were swollen. I had cried on Oivia's shoulder until late last night. After I took my shower, I combed my fingers through my lifeless hair, putting it in a simple bun without applying a strip of makeup. Then, I put on one of my black Fendi suits and matching pumps. Sure, I looked like I was dressed for someone's funeral or a widower, but it fit my emotions. I felt like I was on the verge of crying any second though a month had passed.

I went down the staircase before I fell apart, making my way out of the front door.

When I arrived at work, I walked into the office, and immediately the atmosphere felt strange. My heart began racing the minute I entered the building, and I don't even know why. Was I ready and strong enough to return to work? Then I heard my colleagues gossiping and whispering. “The new CEO was a bachelor that left a trail of broken hearts everywhere.”

I was just glad. They were too distracted to be in my face asking me about my business.

Then suddenly, it got silent. You couldn't hear a pin drop when I walked to my desk and put my purse down. When I turned and looked over my shoulder, the new CEO and his entourage walked into the office. I did a double-take. I had only seen his side profile, and even from the side, you could see he was seriously handsome. His hair was cropped low and silky. His eyes were striking, surrounded by dark lashes and even darker eyebrows. The other ladies would want to wipe the accumulated drool from their mouths.

My heart begins to beat rapidly against my ribcage! When the man came and stood in the center of the floor! I could not believe my eyes! I had to fight with everything I had within me when my eyes landed on his face and kissable lips because my new CEO was, shockingly, my missing husband!